Image Credit: ADOBE STOCK

A group of Kelowna activists has been campaigning to get the city to take a look at religious tax exemptions and have decided to rally outside city hall next week.

The Kelowna Atheists, Skeptics and Humanists Association and Advocacy Canada have been asking the City of Kelowna to rethink how religious groups get property tax exemptions.

The activists have collected signatures on a petition and have been trying to get a delegation in front of city council, but the city has rejected them.

Now, the association has a rally planned outside city hall for 3:30 p.m. on July 22 to try to catch city reps and councillors as they head into the meeting on Tuesday.

"Across the province, councils are reviewing their permissive tax exemption policies to meet their local priorities and fiscal limitations," BC Humanist Association executive director Ian Bushfield said in a press release. "Kelowna has the chance to become a leader in making sure that these exemptions go to groups that support Kelowna residents and Kelowna values."

The association said that its main concerns with religious tax exemptions are discrimination against the LGBTQ community, low attendance and the fact that the public worship tax exemption policy hasn’t been looked at in 20 years.

“Religions are allowed to discriminate,” Nina George with the association previously said. “They have that right, it's called religious freedom... but we also have a right for freedom from religion.”

There are 54 religious groups listed under the public worship tax exemption for 2024 for a total loss of roughly $350,000 in tax revenue, according to the city’s annual report.

“It’s time to ask: Why are Kelowna taxpayers indirectly funding foreign missions, and tax-free profits as well as discriminatory practices?” George said in an email.

READ MORE: Atheist group says ‘discriminatory’ religions shouldn’t get tax exemptions in Kelowna

The deadline for five-year tax exemptions is tomorrow, July 15, so the city won’t be able to implement any changes for the next five years.

“We recognize that there's good in a lot of these things for people, especially the churches that are not discriminating. They do a lot of good work,” George said. “All we're asking is for a one-year exemption and just an examination of this public worship category.”

The association has been looking at how religious groups spend the money that doesn’t go to property taxes.

It found that Evangel Tabernacle was exempt from $63,183 in property taxes and donated $289,000 to charities but only $49,444 went to Kelowna causes between 2023 and 2024.

Trinity Baptist Church was exempt from $145,632 in taxes, donated $221,876 but only $35,849 stayed in Kelowna between 2023 and 2024.

Willow Park Church was exempt from $73,067 and donated $274,732, none of which went to causes in Kelowna that year.

“Tracking church finances has been the most revealing part of investigating religious property tax exemptions,” George said in an email. “Most people have no idea how much money is leaving Kelowna to fund proselytizing efforts around the world in the name of a god. These exemptions were intended to support local community benefits—not to subsidize global missions and political causes.”

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